Folding step for vehicles.



A. FULLER;

FOLDING STEP FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6. 1915.

1,169,?%. Patented Feb.1, 1916.

| I I I I 6 Anderson Fui ler Tm: COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

depend pivrrnn srarrnsrnrnur orricn annnnson FULLER, or Atisrnnnamnnw ironic, assrenon or nun-HALE 'ro WILLIAM J. nanny, on SGEENEGTADY, new Yon-K. I 1

FQLDI-NG srnr run vniarcnns.

- Specification of Letters Patent. Pgmgnt fl F b 1 1916 Application filed. May 6, 1915. Serial to. 28,299.

To all to ham it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDERSON FULLER, a citizen cf the United States, residing at .timsterdam', county of Montgomery, State of few York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding steps for Vehicles, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Zlhe' present inventionrelates to double folding steps for vehicles by means of which passengers enter and leave the same, and has for its object to improve their construction, particular reference being made to the means for supporting and bracing them to sustain the loadthey have to carry. Also to the means for raising and lowering them.

For a considerations-f what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the accompanying description and claims appended thereto. I v

in the accompanying drawing which illustrates one of the embodiments of my invention, Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a part of a vehicle fitted with my improved double step; Fig. 2 is a similar view showmg the steps folded back; Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the mechanism for moving-the steps to and from their operativepositions; Fig. it is a similar'view showing the position the parts when the steps are folded back; Fig. 5 is a partial view in elevation and section of a vehicle, in this case a street car, showing the relation of the various parts, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the step braces. V

lhe vehicle is provided with hangers 7 which are bolted or otherwise secured to the body sills or frame-work 8 on opposite sides thereof at suitable intervals. Both sides 'Of the vehicle will ordinarily be fitted with steps, but since the construction is the same in both instances, I have illustrated them on only one side. lhe number of hangers. will chiefly upon the length ofthe vehicle. fully support any load they may be called upon to carry without undue bending or distortion of any kind. The hangers are similar in construction,

otherwise secured to the outer face of the erwise securedthereto. The portion 10 is also connected to the step 18 thereto.

pivot 13 passes through hence each arm is self supporting.

elevation and for the same positions.

There should beenough of them to a the one illustrated "comprises a vertical-portion 9 that is bolted' or 7 portion 10 that engages the under face thereof andis boltedor oth back of the main body of thehanger by a substantial rib 11 which extends about half way down so as to prevent the hanger from bending inward. The

with ribs for the same reason. On the front front face of the hanger is also provided tial to my invention. Each arm is provided of the hanger, which'is made straight to reduce the'overall width of the vehlcle, are

with a small flat-surfaced portion 17 through a s for securing the wooden The arm 15 is, generally elevation and the the shorter leg.

which bolts pass speaking, L-shaped in side The rear of the short leg rests on the verti- 1 cal face of the hanger when the step is down, thereby forming a means to support the latter. To state the matter in another way, the arm is connected to the hanger by a rule-joint, meaning joint commonly found in a two-foot rule, and The lower step arm 16 is also L-shaped in side reason, but in by that the type of this case the part 19 is made considerably longer because the stram thereon is greater, as will appear more fully later. Another reason for making the part 19 for the lower step longer is to enable the step to occupy a position outside of, and parallel to, the upperstep when both are occupying ra sed As the'steps with their supporting arms have considerable weight, it is desirable to largely counterbalance raising and lowering thereof. To this end two or more bars 20 are bolted to the under side of the upper step andproject under the vehicle body. Adjustablymounted on these barsare counterweights 21, the latter being locked in any desired position by set screws 22. The weights are of such a shape and so positioned with respect to the'hangers that when the steps are raised they will swing downward and occupy positions between the lower step and the hanger, as best shown in Fig. 2. I

' One of the real problems in an apparatus of this kind is to securely support th step when they are'lowered, no matter how many step supportingarm 16.

' 2. This member forms a brace for the outer "back wall of the hanger and is 'At its rear end is .Iend' of the upper step and by reason of its sattachmentftothe arm 16 its strains'are transmitted tothe part 19 and thence to the hanger which is made amply strong for the purpose. The member 23 can, with advantage, be made of two pieces of relatively thin'metal-situated on opposite sides of the arms. To further support the steps and especially the lower one, a brace 2% is provided that passes through a slot 25 in'the pivotally connected at its front end to the member 23.

provided ahead 26 which, when the steps aredown, engages the back side of the hanger, the'under side of the brace resting on the lower wall of the slot. Owing to the fact that the brace freely slides inthe slot it does not interfere when the steps are raised, yet when the steps are lowered the enlarged head 26 acts as an anchor for the inner end thereof. The member 23 and brace 24 can be separately attached to the lower step arm if desired, but the arrangement shown is simpler and somewhat decreases the amount of materia necessary. r

Thelower step has a guard rail 27 to prevent vthe foot of a person entering or leaving the vehicle from slipping into the space between the lower step and the vehicle proper.

would interfere with the folding operation If this were continuous it and I therefore divide it into sections or pieces with small spaces or slots between wh ch register'with the members 23 when the steps are raised, as shown in Fig. 2.

The upper step is also provided with a guard rail 28that is'ca-rried bv the hangers. It will be observed the parts are so con structed and arranged that" when the steps are raised they occupy positions in close proximity to the side of the vehicle. This is due to the fact that both arms are L- shaped with the legs of the lower arm some- 'what longer than the corresponding legs of the upper arm. The increased length of the short leg 19 of the lower arm affords a very substantial brace for the step against a downward movement, and the member 23 which is supported by the lower arm also assists to supportthe upper arm and in this manner compensates length of the short leg of the L.

. sition.

for the decreased In order to operate the steps from with- [in the vehicle and either from the front or rear, the following arrangement is pro- :vided: To the upper step are bolted two 'or more arms 30 which extend inwardly under the vehicle body. Each rod is connected by a universal joint 31 to rod 32, Fig. 3. On the inner end of the rod is a socket 33 which is pivotally connected to an arm 34 carried on the lower end of a .vertical operating spindle 35, the latter having a handle 36 on its upper end within easy reachof the conductor or motorman. The socket 33 is provided with an extension .37 which engages the arm 3-1 and locks the parts when the said arm is rotated to the position shown in Fig. at and the pivot 38 is located at the right of a plane, indicated by a dotted line, passing through the axis of the spindle 35 and the point of connection between the rod 32 and the step oper- Iating arm 30. It will thus be seen that the connection between the operating handle and the step moving device contains an overset toggle which automatically locks when the steps are raised and can only be re- I leased by moving the handle 36. This efi'eo tively prevents persons from accidentally or otherwise lowering the steps from outside the vehicle. In order to effectively raise the steps at least two such devices as just described should be used, one at or near the front of the vehicle and the other at or near the rear thereof. Such an arrangement is indicated in Figs. 3 and 4-. In the former the steps are shown in their lowered position and in the latter in their raised po- When my improved apparatus is 'used on very long cars the number of the lifting arms 30 can be increased but generally 1t Wlll not be necessary.

From actual experience with vehicles fitted with my improved construction I have found that steps supported in the manner described will support a greater load than they are called upon to carry without injury or undue stress on any of the parts. Also that the steps can be easily raised and lowered from within the vehicle, the coun- .terbalance being so complete that the force necessary to move the handle 36 is relatively small. One very important consideration, particularly for long street cars, is to have the steps fold up into a small space so that the steps on one vehicle will not interfere with those on another moving in-the opposite direction on an adjacent track. I meet this consideration by so arranging the steps that when raised they occupy parallel positions-in close proximity.

Another feature of advantage of my improved construction resides in the fact that no part of the step supporting or operating means projects below the hanger when the steps are raised, and since the lower step depresides termines in all cases the necessary clearance above the roadway it follows that the clanger of having the parts injured from road Obstructions is reduced to a minimum.

it is to be particularly noted that the hangers form the sole support for the steps and hence the steps are entirely independent of any partoi the car body both when raised and'lowered. This avoids having to finish the'undei' sides'oi the sills to form stops or to change the position oi any parts regularly used on the car, such asair tanks, resistances, etc. it also prevents interference with the trucks. It is further to be noted that the steps are supported by the hangers at three points thereby distributing the strains uniformly over their length. The heel of the arm. 15 is flat and hence it is self supporting. The heel of the armlG is also self supporting for the same reason. When a person mounts the lower step the member 23 is put under tension and so also is the brace 24. This means then that the weight of the person is sustained by three points on each hanger; 6., by the heels or" the arms 15 andylti acting through the pivots 13 and 1d and by the head 26 of the brace.

When the person mounts the second step the strain is still transmitted to the hanger at three points but the member 23, which before wasunder tension, is now under compression. V I

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, 1 have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is -1. In combination, a vehicle, ers mounted thereon, arms directly hinged to the hangers and arranged in pairs, each arm having a heel which engages the hanger to prevent the steps carried thereby from dro iping below a substantially horizontal position, steps carried by the arms, a member which connects the upper andlower arms ofeach pair and alternately transmits stresses from one to the other, and means on the vehicle for raising and lowering the steps.

2. in combination, a vehicle, rigid hangers mounted thereon, Lshapcd arms pivotally connected to the hangers, heels on the arms which engage the face of the hangers when the arms are lowered to support them, steps carried by the arms and arranged one above the other, counterbalancing means for the steps, means connecting the steps so that movement imparted to one of them is transmitted to the other, and means carried by rigid hangthe vehicle for raising and lowering the steps. 1

'3. In combination, a vehicle, hangers mounted thereon, arms arranged in pairs and pivotally supported by each hanger, steps carried by the arms, a brace attached at one end to one arm of each pair, a stop for the other end of the brace, said brace moving longitudinally with respect to the stop when the steps are raised, and means for raising and lowering the steps.

i." ln combination, a vehicle, slotted hangers mounted thereon, a pair of. arms hinged to each hanger, steps supported by the arms, a brace which extends through the slot in each hanger andlsiupports one of the steps when in operative position, said brace treely sliding longitudinally in the slot as the steps are raised, and means for raising and lowerin the steps.

0. In combination, a vehicle, slotted hangers mounted thereon, an arm hinged to each hanger, aistep supported by the arms, braces which freely extend through the slots in the hangers, each having a head at one end preventing it from passing through the slot, the other end being attached to an arm, and means for turning the arms on their pivots to raise'the step and causing the braces to slide longitudinally in said slots away from their supporting positions.

6. In combination, a vehicle, slotted hangers mounted thereon, a pair of arms hinged to each hanger, steps supported by the arms, a member which transmits pressure exerted on the upper step to the lower, a brace tiat extends through the slot in each hanger and is attached at one end to said member, the other end of each brace having a head which prevents it from being pulled through the slot, and means for turning the arms about their pivots and causing the braces to slide in their slots.

7. in combination, a vehicle, slotted hangers mounted thereon, a. pair of arms ofdi'fterent lengths hinged to each hanger, means preventing each arm and step from moving below a substantially horizontal position, steps carried by the arms, a member which connects theuppcr and lower steps, braces that extend through the slots in the hangers,

each brace being connected at one end to a member, the other end being provided with a head which engages the hanger when the steps are lowered, and means attached to a step for turning them from a'substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position. 7

8. In combination, a vehicle, hangers mounted thereon, a pair of arms hinged to each hanger, means on each of the arms which engage the face of the hanger to limit the downward movement of said arms to a substantially horizontal position, steps carried by the. arms, means for transmitting pressure eiierted on both of the steps to a po nt on each hanger between the hlnges or" means for turning the actuator, a device attached to the steps, and a con ne' cting rod between the actuator and the device for raising and'lowering thesteps.

9. In combination, i a" vehicle, hangers nountcd iereon, a pair of arms hinged to each hanger, means on each of the arms which engage the hanger :tor limiting the downward movement of said arms to a substantiallyhorizontal position, steps carried by the arms, an actuator carried by the ve- 15 which passes over the dead mounted thereon, arms vices connected to the posite ends whereby they may be moved from operative to inoperative position, actuators located at suitable points on the vehicle body, a member which transmits motion imparted to one actuator to the other, connections for transmitting motion from .the actuators to the devices, a locking deof, arms arranged vice between each which is rendered operative by the actuators when they are moved to predetermined positions. I

'11. in combination, a. vehicle, rigid hangers depending from the side sills therein pairs and pivotally supported by the hangers, a heel on each arm that prevents it from dropping below a predetermined position, steps arranged one above the other and secured to the arms,

a means that transmit the stresses due to the other and also to the the application of weight from one step to hanger at a point between the pivots of said arms, and means .on the'vehicle for raising and lowering the steps about their pivots. t

1 Copies of this patent may be obtained for .12. In combinatiom'a vehicle, rigid hangers depending trom the .sills thereof, a

. short and along arm hinged to each hanger,

said arms, an actuatorcarried by the ve-i hicle body,

actuator and the stepsv imam each arm. having a heel that, engages the face or" the" hanger when the arm is lowered to support it, steps carried by the arms, the outer edge of the lower step being located at a greater distance from the vehicle than the correspondingedge of the upper step, members which are pivotally secured to the upper arms near their outer ends and 'pivotally secured to the lower arms between the inner edge of the lower step and their pivots to alternately transmit stresses from one arm to the other as a person enters or leaves the vehicle, and a means accessible from within the vehicle for simultaneously swinging the arms about their pivots.

13. In combination, a vehicle,rigid hangers depending from the sills thereof, a pair of arms pivotally mounted on each hanger, each arm having a heel that engages the face of the hanger when in its lowered position, steps carried by the arms and located one above the other, a member which is pivotally connected to each pair of arms and is under tension when weight is applied to the lower step and is under compression when the weightis transferred to the upper step, and means located on the vehicle for directly folding one of the steps and indirectlv folding the other step through said members.

let. In combination, a vehicle, rigid'haugers :depending from the sills thereof, a pair of arms pivotally mounted on each hanger, each arm having a heel that engages the face of the hanger when in its lowered position, steps carried by the arms and located one above the other, a member which is pivotally connected to each pair of arms and is under tension when weight is applied to the lower step and is under compression when the weight is transferred to the upper step, a brace which transmits stresses due to the application of weight on both steps to the hanger at a point between the pivots for step carrying arms, said brace being free to slide rearwardly when the steps are tolded, and means located on the vehicle for folding the steps. v

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of May, 1915.

ANDERSON FULLER.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

